s3phis

I think the comment "would rather run their business into the ground rather than change" dead on hit a sore spot. It's always baffled me but change is one of the hardest things to initiate in most Japanese businesses even though it's plain to see that the current system is not working. With the ski resorts there's a large mix of things. However, I think the biggest issue is the lack of fore-sight. Most of the resorts were developed in the 70s and 80s, during the big economic bubble. While it's all well to say "but no one can fore-see when the bubble breaks", I'm not really convinced that

Originally Posted By: tripitaka The two are different, but go hand-in-hand in my view. I'm not really anti-snowmaking and it might actually have some positive ecological benefits. quoted for truth. Personally, it's probably just the selfishness of the developed countries (as are issues of biodiversity, environmental responsibility etc) and that, itself, isn't necessarily a bad thing. Even/especially if all the natural snow melts, people will be making snow simply because there are people with enough disposable income and time to spend on something they enjoy. I'm not for or against it

It would also use more energy to cool down an indoor snow park (and make the snow) in a place like Dubai. I'd say energy use would be a bigger issue than the water? I have no real knowledge so I'm merely speculating. It'd probably be an environmental issue rather than a political issue but meh that's besides the point.

lol that's terrible

Been a while since I posted here...and I got slightly interested in this thread. I'm not a fanatic about the environment but it's not on my agenda as something to kill off either. From my perspective, I think this quote sums it all up for me: this world isn't something that's inherited from our parents but rather borrowed from our children (one of my old university professors for architecture). Global warming may or may not be as real as it's hyped up to be but I think we have bigger issues to address. Rather than CO2 emissions, I'm rather disgusted by the amount of rubbish we dispo

Stemik: yeah. The Japanese mentality is "teach me what to do for each scenario" (like it's a formula) where as the anglos tend to be more "show me and I'll figure the rest out".

It's more that the full day passes don't cost double that of a half day pass than the other way around. The half day pass is about what's needed to break even if you only come for a weekend or two during the season. The smaller resorts' model bases the full day pass for the same reason. Having more choice isn't always a good thing either; it can paralyse a lot of the newer skiiers/boarders, who make up a huge portion of the customer base, and also gives more chance for errors. There's enough people who don't know what to get, why they should get "x" pass etc as it stands right now.

I have to agree with gurgle; infrastructure isn't a big point for a lot of ski resorts. I think the big thing is that ski culture is only about 100 years old in Japan and they never really expected it to be as big as it became. Most places, from what I can see, have a sort of "patch work" infrastructure... slowly extending, improving and repairing as the demand grows without a completely realised end design. The older ski resorts in Europe were already fairly defined and had a sense of direction and the new resorts (Australia etc) were developed in phases but with future developments in

I think the stereotype of gaijin, Aussies in particular, is "lively" rather than "troublesome". I'm heading down to Inawashiro from the 2nd and then back to Australia. I should be back the next season though , or in April should the weather permit >_>;

My most pleasant aspects of working in here is when people return lost property. Like, a wallet, a watch, a lift pass etc... it's like the biggest relief to see people that will give up the prospect of personal gain to return lost articles. That said, you won't believe what gets lost over the years... and never claimed. I think there's a collection of skis, boards, small articles and a lot of cameras, video cams, DSLRs etc.

- half day from 8:30 to 1pm or 12noon till 5pm - discounted half day, one day, 1.5 day, 2 day and 3 day passes at lodges discounts for children and seniors

Gareth: it's not going to be enforced as, say, drink driving as but if you are found breaking terms of contract, you are legally responsible for adhereing to those terms. If you don't you are subject to the penalties what ever the resort states. That's the legal side of it. The moral side is a lot more complicated. Did you enjoy the resort? The only reason you may or may not have experienced prejudice against you is the manner in which people before you conducted themselves. Being Japan, this is a crucial point. If enjoyed the resort and you want to keep enjoying it, it's selfish to

Mmm, as Hotaka and Ger said, you might feel a bit of animosity towards staff but most of the people at schools and resorts work off minimum wage. When you consider they have to pay for their dorms, only get paid on the days there is work and even only then get paid like 5,000-7,000 yen a day, it does hurt a lot of people. The big, corporate resorts generally charge higher costs but they're looking to make profits; the smaller ones tend to be glad if they can break even. At Noz, it's like Y4,600 for a day pass... compared to $96 at Mt Buller. Trading the AUD for 60 yen, you're looking at

On the upside, back country is one of the big issues the resort's trying to figure out

Just gotta take 'em off at the security screening

Originally Posted By: JA You people who live at resorts have been spoiled! We have to stand by and watch for most of the time while everyone enjoys the snow T.T

I don't know much about the snow depths at Nozawa (since I'm always at the base center) but it's usually just taken from specific points and broadcast onto the TV channels. It's usually a modest reading since, as stated before, the Yamabiko reading is taken at the top of Uenodaira. Edit: for me, snowdepth is "when the snow reaches my knees on the way home from a night out... it's time to go skiing"

Originally Posted By: gareth_oau I'm Sparticus.... I lol'ed... while at work >_<

Mmm I do quite like matcha ice... I think matcha goes well with a lot of textures and combinations... but then again, I pretty much should . I also just realised something... there's a Nozawana soft serve that tastes... err interesting. Then again, I've also had bacon ice cream. Wasabi ice cream scares me... o.O

So what sort of weird/wonderful wafu-style things have the SJ folks eaten? *wafu being the Japanese interpretations of western (or otherwise foreign/introduced) foods For me: - Onsen-tamago, nori & cheese pizza (@Biri-ken at Nozawa Onsen) - Kinako Chocolate (kinako being that powdery sweetner from soy beans) (@ local supermarket) - Matcha marshmallows (@ local supermarket) They actually worked out (the pizza worked out in a really really weird way :S). What have you eaten? What do you recommend? Where do you get it??

I don't know much about thefts but there's always cases of mistaken property. When everyone has their skis/boards/stocks out the front of shops, a lot of people tend to accidentally take someone else's... it's quite a hassle to try and get everything back to their owners. You'd be suprised how many thousands of dollars of property is left behind at the end of season (everything from video cameras to racing skis :S)

Not everyone needs to be an intellectual... but everyone should be happy . Go go idealism

Originally Posted By: golf74 its been snowboarding up top and wakeboarding at the bottom. I love this quote

10 points if you get it with the underside of your board, 20 points if you get it with the top side .

Hmmm... I think canned beer might be a better collector's item than coins! Imagine having a cellar full of old beer cans from the world over